Heavyweight:-Kyotaro Fujimoto (19-1): WBO #7 / WBC #20A heavyweight Japanese fighter is something very rare, let along being ranked in the top 10. The former K-1 champion debuted in 2011 and has had a successful run in the regional scene, currently holding the OPBF & WBO Asia Pacific Heavyweight belts while riding on a 14 fight winning streak. Even though we may never see him challenging for a world title, it’s fun knowing he is there.Super Welterweight/Jr Middleweight:-Takeshi Inoue (13-0): WBO #5 / WBA #13 / WBC #19The undefeated 4-year veteran is climbing the Super Welterweight rankings very fast, managing to place himself as the #5 in the WBO. A former Japanese title holder and now the unified OPBF & WBO Asia Pacific champion, may very well be one or two fights away from his first world title opportunity.Super Lightweight/Jr Welterweight:-Hiroki Okada (18-0): WBO #3 / WBA #4 / WBC #9One of brightest prospects in Japan right now, Okada has never lost a single bout in his entire career. A bona fide knock out artist (13 KOs), he held the Japanese crown for 32 months and defended it 6 times, before winning the WBO Asia Pacific championship from Jason Pagara (41-3) this past December. Since the WBO world champion Maurice Hooker will not participate in the WBSS, this title will probably be his main focus as of now. Okada’s next confirmed appearance is on September 14th in the US (opponent TBA).

Lightweight:-Masayoshi Nakatani (17-0): WBC #7, WBO #13Much like Okada and Takuma, Nakatani is also another undefeated fighter, who just recently made a record 10th title defense of the OPBF Lightweight championship. Despite the fact that he is ranked “only” #7 by the WBC, it’s worth pointing out that his last bout took place on July 29, so that win wasn’t taken into consideration at the latest ranking updates. -Nihito Arakawa (31-6): WBO #3Former Japanese, OPBF and reigning WBO Asia Pacific Lightweight champion, Arakawa has been in many big fights through out his 14-year career. At 36, he is still looking for his second world title opportunity. Super Featherweight/Jr Lightweight:-Masaru Sueyoshi (18-1): WBO #7The 27 year old is steadily making his mark in Japan, suffering only one loss in his 4th pro bout, Sueyoshi has been victorious in his last 15 outings and even won the Japanese title on October of 2017. Another successful year and we might see him challenge for a world title by the end of 2019/beginning of 2020. Featherweight:-Satoshi Shimizu (6-0): WBC #6The Bronze Medalist at the 2012 Olympics, made his pro debut on September of 2016 and he has KOed/TKOed every single one of his opponents since then, claiming the OPBF Featherweight crown in just his 4th fight. He will defend that belt against Shingo Kawamura (16-3) later this month. If he can pass that test too, a fight with Gary Russell Jr. for the WBC title could be up for debate.-Shun Kubo (13-1): WBA #7The former WBA Super Bantamweight world champion returned this April, after his TKO loss to Daniel Roman in 2017, and won his comeback fight against former OPBF Featherweight champion & world title challenger Hiroshige Osawa (33-5)making a huge impact on his Featherweight debut.Super Bantamweight/r Featherweight:-Tomoki Kameda (35-2): WBA #2 / WBC #4 / WBO #9El Mexicanito, has been on a 4-fight winning streak since moving up a weight class and has already broke the top 5 in both the WBA & the WBC. A fight with Emanuel Navarrete (WBA #1) could potentially set up a world title fight in 2019 with the winner of Daniel Roman/Gavin McDonnell, which takes place this October.-Hidenori Otake (31-2): WBO #6 / WBC #8The reigning OPBF champion is scheduled to take on Isaac Dogboe (19-0) for the WBO World Super Bantamweight title on August 25.

Bantamweight:-Takuma Inoue (11-0): WBO #8 / WBC #9The undefeated former OPBF Super Flyweight champion is set to face reigning OPBF Bantamweight champion Mark John Yap (29-12), in a WBC World title eliminator fight on September 11. -Hiroaki Teshigawara (17-2): WBO #6Teshigawara recently stopped former world title contender Teiru Kinoshita (26-3) to defend his WBO Asia Pacific crown, bringing him one step closer to a WBO world championship match.

-Ryo Akaho (32-2): WBO #13This is more of an honorable mention as Akaho made his return to the ring this past July, since his forced retirement last year, and knocked out Robert Udtohan, thus making it in the WBO world rankings once more.Super Flyweight/Jr Bantamweight:-Kazuto Ioka (22-1): WBA #2In what must be considered the most bizarre ranking of this list, the former 3 division world champion, who’s return to the ring was announced just a couple of weeks ago,is already ranked #2 by the WBA !Ioka is scheduled to fight WBC Silver champion and 2-time world title contender McWilliams Arroyo (17-3) on September 8, in the States.-Koki Eto (22-4): WBC #5 / WBO #7 / WBA #9The former interim WBA World Flyweight champion is currently ranked in the top 10 of the WBA, the WBC and the WBO. He fights Delfin de Asis (9-5) on August 16.-Ryuichi Funai (30-7): WBO #5 / WBC #10 / WBA #13Funai knocked out Philippino standout and world title challenger Warlito Parrenas (26-8), in impressive fashion, this past June, and won the vacant WBO Asia Pacific title. A strong first title defense and Funai could be challenging for the world championship by 2019.

Flyweight:-Kosei Tanaka (11-0): WBO #1 / WBC #2Arguably one of the best fighters that have come out of Japan, Tanaka has won 2 world titles in 2 different divisions within 5 years. Now he looks to add a 3rd one to his collection as he goes one on one with Sho Kimura (17-1) for the WBO World Flyweight championship on September 24.-Masayuki Kuroda (30-7): WBA #1 / WBC #4 / WBO #5The current Japanese Flyweight champion has been on a 6-fight winning streak and has defended his belt 5 times since 2017 and now is ranked amongst the top 5 in the world and most importantly #1 by the WBA. A world title match against Artem Dalakian (17-0) sounds very plausible at this point and since both men have already fought this summer and have come out with no injuries, a fight between the two could take place around December.-Junto Nakatani (16-0): WBC #5 / WBO #13Undefeated Japanese flyweight prospect Junto Nakatani scored another TKO win on July 7 and now is ranked at the WBC’s top 5.-Takuya Kogawa (29-5): WBC #8After a draw with Yusuke Sakashita, Kogawa has retained his spot at the WBC rankings.-Masahiro Sakamoto (12-1): WBO #4The former WBO Asia Pacific champion will probably be in line for a WBO World title match against the winner of Kimura/Tanaka in 2019. He is scheduled to face South Korea’s Flyweight champion Ki Chang Go (6-2) on August 11.Light Flyweight:-Ryuji Hara (23-2): WBO #1Much like Ioka’s, this is the second strangest ranking, especially considering that Hara hasn’t fought since October of 2017. Actually Hara has been the #1 ranked flyweight by the WBO since January, despite having only competed once in this division against the debuting Seneey Worachina. Hara was set to face Angel Acosta for the world title on April 7 but an injury prevented him from stepping into the ring.-Tetsuya Hisada (32-9): WBA #1 / WBC #3 / WBC #6The reigning Japanese Flyweight champion, since 2016, recorded a 4th successful defense against Koki Ono (12-5) on July 16, thus improving his streak to 11 consecutive victories. Now as the #1 ranked Light Flyweight by the WBA, he is rumored to face Hekkie Budler for the gold sooner or later.-Hiroto Kyoguchi (10-0): WBA #2The undefeated IBF World Minimumweight champion has recently decided to move up a weight class and has already reached the top of the WBA ranking. If Hisada doesn’t face Budler right away, then an eliminator between Kyoguchi and Hisada looks more likely to take place.-Ryoichi Taguchi (27-3): WBC #4 / WBA #4Despite losing his 2 world title to Budler, Taguchi is still ranked amongst the top Light Flyweights in the world and without a doubt he will gain another crack at the gold in no time.

-Reiya Konishi (16-1): WBO #6 / WBA #7The former world title challenger and now new WBO Asia Pacific champion, is coming closer to once again fight for the world championship.Minimumweight:-Tsubasa Koura (13-0): WBC #3 / WBA #9 / WBO #11At only 23 years of age, Koura has already amassed 13 career wins, including 9 KOs, as well as the OPBF Minimumweight championship. His 3rd title defense will take place on August 24 against an unnamed opponent as of yet. It’s safe to say that we will see him in a WBC world title match in early 2019.-Ryuya Yamanaka (16-3): WBO #6Yamanaka recently lost the WBO world title to Vic Saludar. Just like Taguchi, he is only a few fights away from competing again for the big one.-Tatsuya Fukuhara (21-6): WBC #9Fukuhara has been victorious in both of his 2018 fights but he will need a few more before he can challenge Chayaphon Moonsri again for the WBC world title.-Shin Ono (22-9): WBO #9Ono will make his first Japanese title defense against Riku Kano (13-3) on August 24. His last world title fight was in 2016.

Over the past week or so the Super Flyweight division has come to the attention of fans world wide. In the UK fans saw a much touted and previously unbeaten fighter come up short against a world class but unheralded African world champion whilst fans watching a stream from Macau got the chance to see an all-action war courtesy of TopRankTV. Despite these two memorable event over this past weekend many still suggest the division is a weak one. The reality however, is that the division is one of the toughest and most packed out there.

The Monster

Naoya Inoue (8-0, 7)The standout fighter in the division, and it's most notable star by some margin, is 21 year old Naoya Inoue. The youngster from Kanagawa looks to be the fastest rising star in boxing and has all the tools to become a sure fire legend.

Inoue began his career just a few short years ago but became the WBC Light Flyweight champion in his 6th bout and then burst into the Super Flyweight scene with an astonishingly impressive and destructive victory over Omar Narvaez to claim the WBO title. That bout was supposed to be a test but instead it was a launch pad and Inoue now looks set to rule the roost at 115lbs for as long as he wishes.

In the ring there is very little Inoue can't do. He has shown his pressure fighting ability against Jerson Mancio, his boxing ability against Yuki Sano, and his destructive punching against Narvaez. He's got an incredible boxing IQ, thunderous power, lightening speed and scary know-how for a novice who is just getting better fight after fight.

Dubbed "Monster" for his speed and power, it appears Inoue has a really bright future ahead of him and we're expecting his ring return in August as he hunts the first defense of his WBO title

Rising Japanese

Sho Ishida (18-0, 10)The Ioka gym has been developing great fighters regularly over the last few years and the next one of those appears to be Super Flyweight Sho Ishida, who has already claimed the Japanese title and scored several wins of note.

At just 23 years old Ishida is still a boxing baby despite having had 18 professional bouts. Fortunately for Ishida those 18 bouts haven't been wasted and he has already notched up wins over Yasuto Aritomi, Petchbarngborn Kokietgym and Yohei Tobe with all 3 of those wins being over-looked by many fans.

In the ring Ishida is a nightmare to fight. He is rangy, tall and fast with a laser guided jab, busy hands and intelligent movement. There are flaws, and he's not the biggest puncher out there but here is developing into an excellent fighter and could well be fighting for a world title by the end of the year.

Although we expect to see Ishida defending his Japanese title in April nothing has been officially announced as of yet. If that bout comes off he will be fighting against Taiki Eto in what is another very credibly contest for the Ioka prospect.

The little Monster

﻿Takuma Inoue﻿ (4-0, 1)Having one Inoue in the division is bad news, having two is frankly horrific, at least if you're a contender in the division. Takuma, still a teenage, has already shown his highly impressive ability and seems like one of the sports few "nailed on future champions".

Although widely known as Naoya's little brother we've been nothing short of amazed by Takuma who appears to have similar skills to Noaya but trades more on his speed and movement rather than power. It's the speed that his seem him box the socks off of Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr and Argentina's Nestor Daniel Narvaes.

Although he's only 19 he's being brought through aggressively under the watchful eye of father-trainer Shingo Inoue and manager Hideyuki Ohashi. Together those two have have taken Naoya to a world title and are likely to do the same to Takuma.

At the moment we're awaiting the announcement of Takuma's next bout, but there is hope it could come in May, or at the very latest August. It's hoped that by the end of the year he will be moving into title fights with an OPBF or Japanese title well within his grasp.

The War Machine

Warlito Parrenas (23-6, 20)We all love exciting, offensive minded heavy handed fighters who can hurt and be hurt. With that in mind Warlito Parrenas really should be a fan favourite with his offense first mentality that sees him often stopping his opponents, or being stopped whilst he tries.

Aged 31 Parrenas, also known as "WARS Katsumata", began his career in 2007 and after 9 fights he had fallen to a disappointing 6-3. From the however he turned things around and has since gone 17-3 with his losses losses since then coming to solid fighters like Marlon Tapales and Jonathan Taconing.

Parrenas is currently the WBO #1 ranked fighter and is seen as one of the favourites to fight Naoya Inoue later in the year. Based on his style and power he could be a handful for anyone however he has managed to shown more calmness in recent bouts.

We've heard that Parrenas is set to travel to the UK next time out and battle the unbeaten Jamie Conlan in a WBO eliminator. The winner of that would the likely next opponent for Naoya Inoue however we all know how boxing works...

The Weak Link?

Kohei Kono (30-8-1, 13)It' s a bit unfair to suggest a 2-time world champion is the division's weak link at the top but Watanabe gym fight Kohei Kono is the champion that a lot of contenders seem to be eyeing up their potential route to the top, as fair or unfair as that seems.

Kono's record as a fighter is less polished than some other fighters and the 34 year old "Tough boy" is certainly not an unbeatable phenom. What he is however is a credible and tough champion who hits harder than his record suggest and enjoys a good old fashioned tear up as much as the fans do. Sadly however he's not the sort of fighter who will enjoy a chase and his movement is far from world class.

In the ring Kono has been in with a who's who. Unfortunately that has resulted in losses to Nobuo Nashiro, Tomas Rojas, Yota Sato and Liborio Solis, though he does hold credible wins over Eden Sonsona, Tepparith Kokietgym and Denkaosan Kaovichit. As limited as he is he can still punch with best of them and shouldn't be over-looked by anyone.

We're unsure when Kono will be back in. It was hope he'd be in action in May though WBA have ordered him to fight Koki Kameda while Bob Arum has eyed him as a potential foe for a July fight with Rex Tso.

Rising Thai

Eaktawan Mor Krungthepthonburi's (7-0, 6)Thailand might not have many big name contenders in the division but one man who does look really promising is the unbeaten Eaktawan Mor Krungthepthonburi's who's name might be a mouthful but his ability is outstanding.

Eaktawan only moved over to professional boxing in 2013 and although he's not beaten anyone of major value he has looked very good against the likes of Ichal Tobida, Edison Berwela and Jemmy Gobel. Those opponents have allowed Eaktawan to show off his hand speed and punch variation which have excited us.

We're hoping to see a lot more of Eaktawan over the next 12 months, if he does there's every chance we'll see him in the world rankings by the end of the year. There is however the experience building that needs doing with this youngster who is showing glimpses of brilliants but isn't close to being the complete article.

We're unsure when Eaktawan will be back in the ring but we're hoping to see a lot of him and we're hoping to see him step up a level rather than continue facing journeyman. We know major opponents will be few and far between but we can hope

The unbeaten but inconsistent

Arthur Villanueva (27-0, 14)One of the many fighters who has been lingering on the verges of a world title fight is Arthur Villanueva, a man who is known as both the "King" and a "Matador" though has at times failed to impress as he has shown up and down form, despite remaining unbeaten.

The 26 year old from Negros Occidental Looked very poor in wins over Fernando Aguilar and Henry Maldonado however eh really last time out as he dominated former world champion Julio Cesar Miranda in one of his stand out performances. It's this inconsistency that makes him frustrating to follow.

When on form the Pinoy fighter looks really good and shows intelligence to his boxing as well as speed, patience, power and technique. He has also shown his heart, having gotten up to win several times. The question, is whether he can do it when he steps up.

We suspect we'll see Villanueva on an upcoming ALA show in the Philippines. It may well be that we see him in a WBO eliminator or going another route to a title fight however at the moment we're unconvinced he could beat any of the champions

The Wild Card

Rey Megrino (21-20-3, 18)With a sub-500 record Rey Megrino is one of those pesky fighters who you think will be rubbish but turns out to be rather good. In fact had it not been relatively poor management there is a chance that Megrino would have been a real fixture on the world scene.

The 28 year old Filipino is one of the sports most heavy handed fighters and is a real danger man, as shown by the fact that almost 90% of his wins have come inside the distance. He's not the most skilled but's tough, heavy handed and a serious threat to those who just look at his record.

At one point Megrino was 6-8-1 whilst more recently he was 15-20-3. He has, however, rebuilt his career excellently and scored some notable wins in recent years defeating the likes of Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, Kenji Kubo, Myung Ho Lee and Ernesto Saulong.

It was rumoured that Megrino would be in the ring in March though it appears that those plans won't be carried out. Hopefully though it won't be long until the power punching Pinoy is back in the ring and back showing how misleading his record is.

The Thai Destroyer

Srisaket Sor Rungvisai (32-4-1, 29)Active, destructive, aggressive and exciting are all words that spring to mind when talking about Thailand's former WBC champion Srisaket Sor Rungvisai. He's not the best boxer in the division but he's among best fighters in the sport today.

Srisaket is one of the many fighters under the management of Nakonluang promotions and has managed to really make a name for himself in the last few years. Originally he a very unheralded fighter, in fact he started his career 1-3-1 but has since gone 31-1 with his only loss being a technical decision to Carlos Cuadras in Mexico. Sadly however he only has 1 really big win, his TKO over Yota Sato.

Although Srisaket's record is "padded" with lesser opponents he has shown his ability in the way he mowed through Sato and beat Hirofumi Mukai into submission. He's a nightmare to go up against and in many ways he's like a cruder version of Gennady Golovkin or Roman Gonzalez in that he applies pressure until he breaks his opponents.

The future for Srisaket seems to be about getting himself another show at the WBC title. To do that he will have to get past Jose Salgado in an eliminator which will be announced shortly.

Rising Filipino

Jerwin Ancajas (22-1-1, 14)The Philippines has a number of exciting fighters in the division though Jerwin Ancajas is one of the ones that really excites us and at just 23 years old there is a lot to be excited about. We know he's not ready yet but one day he will be.

Blessed with good looks, brilliant combinations, wonderful hand speed, an exciting style and spiteful power there is little to really dislike about Ancajas so far. He still has developing to do and is several years away from his physical prime but he is already showing glimpses of being a world champion,

To date the most glaring result on his record is his loss, a majority decision to Mark Anthony Geraldo, though since then he has rolled off 9 stoppages with two of them coming in Macau where he has managed to really impress. It's those stoppages that have helped him build some real momentum going forward.

It seems likely that Ancajas is going to be moved towards a world title in the next year or two. It won't be immediate but it will come and we may well see him in an eliminator early next year, if not very late this year.

The Experienced Contender

Oleydong Sithsamerchai (55-1-1, 21)Former WBC Minimumweight champion Oleydong Sithsamerchai has one of the sport's most impressive records and although not a current champion he is one of the many contenders in the talent laden Super Flyweight division.

Like many Thai's Oleydong found himself battle with the scales for much of his career though after suffering his first loss he jumped straight from 105lbs to 115lbs where he has now notched up a number of wins including solid victories over Mark Anthony Geraldo, Ryan Bito, Hiroyuki Hisataka and Giovanni Escaner.

Earlier in his career Oleydong was a big fighter at 105lbs where he won a world title and made 6 world title defenses beating the likes of Eagle Den Junlaphan, Pornsawan Porpramook, Muhammad Rackman and Juan Palacios.

Whilst Oleydong's next fight is unlikely to be a headline bout it's clear his team know that keeping him busy is the key to getting him another world title bout so we're expecting to see him shortly with 3 or 4 bouts, at least, this year.

The Hong Kong Wonder

Rex Tso (16-0, 9)One of the most exciting men in the division come from the unlikely place of Hong Kong, with many describing him as Hong Kong's only professional fighter. That is Rex "The Wonder Kid" Tso who really is a wonderful fighter to watch.

Tso is a happy go lucky 27 year old who takes his go lucky attitude into the ring and makes for fun to watch contests no matter who he is fighting. He's one of those fighters who could make shadow boxing look enthralling, though he also runs the risk of getting into a tear up with his shadow.

Although Tso is always happy to have a tear up he can actually box, as shown at times in his fight with Ratchasak KKP, though sadly he elects to fight rather than box. That could be his undoing down the line but for now it's going to make him a star in China.

The rumour regarding Tso is that he will be getting a bout with Kohei Kono later in the year. Those plans may need to be delayed for now, with the WBA demanding Kono fights Koki Kameda, but Tso will get a shot sooner rather than later.

Notable Others-The Japanese Renegade-Koki Kameda (33-1, 18) The oldest of the Kameda brothers is the current #2 WBA ranked fighter in the division and is the mandatory challenger to Kohei Kono with the WBA demanding the two men negotiate or face purse bids in a few weeks time. Kameda's resume is highly impressive with title reigns at Light Flyweight, Flyweight and Bantamweight though he wants a Super Flyweight title to become Japan's first ever 4 weight world champion. Sadly he is a divisive figure, similar to Adrien Broner, with many in Japan turning on him. Among those who have gotten sick of him and his brothers are the JBC who have banned him from fighting in Japan, though he has since made a very powerful ally in the form of Al Haymon who is likely to help make Kameda a big name in the US.

The tricky African champion-Zolani Tete (20-3, 17) The first of two non-Asian that we're going to mention here is IBF champion Tete who impressed last week when he derailed the hopes of the previously unbeaten Paul Butler in the UK. Tete won the title last year, when he out pointed Teiru Kinoshita, and his fight with Butler was his first defence. Tall, rangy and with an educated southpaw jab Tete is a nightmare to fight and made both Butler and Kinoshita look clueless in their bouts with him. His biggest worry as a Super Flyweight will be out growing the division, a possibility given his frame, but for as long as he can made 115lbs he's going to be an avoided opponent. Most worryingly for his future opponents, he seems happier fighting on the road than he does at home.

The Mexican champion-Carlos Cuadras (31-0-1, 25) The remaining champion in the division is WBC champion Teiken managed Mexican boxer-puncher Cuadras who won his title last year when he over-came Srisaket Sor Rungvisai via a technical decision. The talented Cuadras is a fighter who can box or brawl, electing to do what suits him best for each fight. Unfortunately for Cuadras recent bouts have been marred with headclashes though it's hard not to be excited when we see Cuadras in the ring. Thankfully we won't need to wait long to see him back in the ring with Cuadras set to fight Luis Concepcion on April 4th in what looks likely to be an absolutely enthralling contest.

To keep things simple we have decided that for us a prospect is someone who hasn't yet fought on the world stage. They could well be a qualified “contender” but for us the terms aren't necessarily mutually exclusive.

As with the Fighter of the year we felt one man was a rclear winner, and although several contenders did emerge, including two men who fought on December 30th, no one really put on a performance as impressive as our winner did in their most notable win.

Runners up:Ryo Matsumoto- The clear “top runner up” was OPBF Super Flyweight champion Ryo Matsumoto 4-0 (3) who had a massive year and would have won this award easily were it not for the eventual winner. Matsumoto began the year with a decision over former world title challenger Hiroyuki Hisataka, it was a tough win for the youngster but one that served him well down the line. A quick blow out of Zun Rindam followed before another blow out, over former world champion Denkaosan Kaovichit, really put the youngster on the map. To end the year he would then stop Rusalee Samor in 12 rounds after a dominant performance. It was as good a year as he could have hoped for.

Takuma Inoue- Another good contender was teenager Takuma Inoue who went 3-0 (1) for the year, with notable wins against Fahlan Sakkreerin Jr, back in April, and Nestor Daniel Narvaes, in December. The talented youngster was tipped for the top when he turned professional and wins over Fahlan and Narvaes have proven just how good he is. Despite his ability he has yet to fight in a title bout though we suspect that will change next year and we imagine he will be chasing either a Japanese or OPBF title in his first bout of the new year, from what we've seen it's hard to see him losing to any of the domestic or Asian champion at either 108lbs or 112lbs. It was an outstanding year but again his year paled in comparison to our winner.

Albert Pagara- Filipino 20 year old Albert Pagara had himself a very memorable year which saw him going 4-0 (3). The problem in some ways is that only one of those wins really made us say “wow”, but it was a win that put him in the mix for a world title bout. Stoppage wins against Isack Junior and Skak Max were both expected, to say the least, and although he did dispatch Hugo Partida quicker than we expected, it was his near shut out against Raul Hirales that blew us away. That win told us more about Pagara than his previous 21 wins combined. It showed that he was a patient, intelligent boxer, he could counter, set traps and not need to depend on his thunderous power. It was the sort of win that tells the boxing world “I'm ready” and we really do believe that Pagara could win a world title in the next 12 months.

The winner-For us the Prospect of the Year was current OPBF Minimumweight champion Kosei Tanaka, who went 3-0 (2) for the year including an exceptional win over Ryuji Hara to claim his OPBF title. The 19 year old kicked off his year in March with a 8 round decision win over the then world ranked Ronelle Ferreras, he gave away a round but ran away with the fight and showed why his promoter Kiyoshi Hatanaka was so excited about him. A fight later he decimated Crison Omayao in just 115 seconds to show that he had power to go with his skills and speed. It was, however, the victory over Hara that broke him away from the pack. Hara was 18-0 (10), a former Japanese champion and the reigning OPBF champion, he was also a highly ranked contender and ranked in the top 10 by all 4 title bodies. Tanaka however showed he could do it all by boxing with Hara for 8 rounds before turning the screw as he entered uncharted territory and stopped Hara in the 10th. It seemed as if Tanaka could have stopped it earlier but was wanting to test his stamina, wanting to go beyond 8 rounds and wanted to see if he could it on as and when needed.

A year ago we knew Naoya Inoue was on the fast track to the top, coming into 2015 we suspect Tanaka will be on an even fast track and it's now expected that he will be fighting for a world title in April. If he manages to do that, and win, he will break Inoue's Japanese record for fewest fights to a world title. Is he manages that then we'll likely be talking about Tanaka as a contender for the 2015 Fighter of the Year.For those who haven't seen Tanaka feast your eyes on his win over Omayao.

5-Genesis Servania A second Filipino in the Super Bantamweight division to get a mention is the talented Genesis Servania (25-0, 11). Servania is a 23 year old who has looked like a star in the making for the last 3 years. Unlike some fighters he's not just popped onto the scene but has carved through world class foes for fun and already holds notable wins over the likes of Gerson Guerrero, Genaro Garcia, Angky Angkotta, Konosuke Tomiyama, Rafael Concepcion, Alexander Munoz and Jose Cabrera. That list alone should have helped make him a top contender.

Blessed with speed, stinging power, great work rate and fantastic ability there is little holding Servania back other than the fact he's in a relatively tough division. If however ALA are willing to break the bank he could reach the top in the next year or so. If they aren't willing to break out the money quite yet than we suspect he'll be competing against other contenders and continuing to reinforce himself as a top contender

Prediction-We don't think ALA will break the bank nor do we suspect that ALA will throw him to the wolves. There it talk about Servania getting WBO interim world title fight but that's now looking like it's off the table. If ALA can get the youngster some sort of interim title fight then there is a great chance he could end the year as a champion. What we suspect however is that Servania will end the year and a mandatory for one of the champions. He may need to wait until 2016 for his chance at the big time but we think he's pretty much ready as it is.

4-Ryo MatsumotoThe third Ohashi gym fighter listed here is Ryo Matsumoto (13-0, 11) who recently won the OPBF Super Flyweight title. Matsumoto was expecting to be moved into title fights in 2015 though has found his progress being moved along a little bit quicker than expected. Sometimes it can seem rash to rush a prospect but Matsumoto has already scored wins over world class opponents such as Hiroyuki Hisataka, a multi-time world title challenger, and Denkaosan Kaovichit, a former world champion, as well as Rusalee Samor, himself a world ranked fighter

Matsumoto is tall for a Super Flyweight and we suspect his future will, long term, be at Bantamweight and not Super Flyweight. For as long as he can make 115lbs however he is a genuine threat to almost anyone in the division. We know he'll want to make a defense, if not 2, of the OPBF title before stepping up to a world title fight. Those bouts will serve as seasoning and will be done in the hope of making sure his stamina is good enough for a world title bout. It could well be that they already feel he is ready such an opportunity

Prediction-We're assuming that Matsumoto will defend the OPBF belt early next year. After that, and after building up his experience and stamina he'll then being moved into world contention. We're going to guess that he does get a world title bout in late 2015 and it could well be that he manages to get a shot at WBA champion Kohei Kono, if he does we'll see Matsumoto and stablemate Naoya Inoue both holding world titles in the same division

3-Takuma InoueWe all know about Naoya Inoue, the “Monster”, and we suspect that his brother, Takuma Inoue (4-0, 1) isn't going to be far behind him in terms of success in the next year or so. We're already pretty confident that Takuma is seeking an OPBF title fight next year and although we confess he's not even close to ready for a world title fight there is little doubt that this youngster has everything needed to be a star in his own right.

Takuma looks freakishly strong for a teenager though we suspect he's still not physically matured yet to be put in with a genuinely big test. What he seems to have however is real speed, a genuine understanding of boxing, a toughness and maybe importantly people to look up to. It's not just Naoya that he can turn to for advice but also the likes of Hideyuki Ohashi and Akira Yaegashi two of the most respected men in Japanese boxing. The guidance offered there is huge and will be massively beneficial for the Japanese youngster.

Prediction-We don't think 2015 will be “his year” per se but we do suspect he'll win his first title in, or around, summer and then move towards climbing the world rankings to open up several routes. We're unsure which way he will go but suspect 2016 ill see him in his first world title bout, however if he is rushed we'd not worry about him against too many fighters out there,

2-Albert PagaraThe Super Bantamweight division has seen several fighters look like they want to avoid real opposition and instead of fighting the best they've done what they can to take on light touches. One man who appears happy to change that is Filipino youngster Albert Pagara (22-0, 15). Dubbed “The Prince” we suspect that Pagara will be wearing a crown sooner rather than later and there is little doubting his ability or team.

Aged just 20 Pagara has shown real world class ability and his performance this past November, when he shut down down the very competent Raul Hirales with genuine ease, was nothing short of exceptional. Not only did Pagara completely dominate the bout but he also went the championship distance of 12 rounds for the first time and never looked to have any issue with the distance. That bout with Hirales was Pagara's 4th of the year with the other 3 lasting a combined 5 rounds and if he does something similar next year he will end the year on the verge of a world title fight.

Prediction-Pagara doesn't quite look ready for a world title fight as of yet though we suspect by October or November he will be looking for a world title eliminator. Odds are he could hold his own against all the fighters at Super Bantamweight, bar Guillermo Rigondeaux. This kid really is special.1-Kosei TanakaThe most obvious name on this list is Kosei Tanaka (4-0, 2) a man who has been on the fast track to a world title since he debut in November 2013. Originally some fight fans may have been apprehensive to believe a young prospect was going to rise through the ranks quicker than Naoya Inoue though that's exactly what Tanaka has done under the guidance of former world champion Kiyoshi Hatanaka.

Blessed with insane speed, a clever boxing brain, freakish physical strength and a team that have full confidence in him it's hard not to see Tanaka reaching the very top in this sport. The only limitations we can see is that he may be too good for his own good or be over-confident. As long as Tanaka remains focused and doesn't become complacent then he's going to become a star.

PredictionBy the end of summer 2015 we suspect Tanaka will be a world champion at Minimumweight and may even be looking at getting himself Light Flyweight world title before the year is out. If he's not in the mix for Fighter of the Year 2015 we will be shocked.